BeWell is a virtual wellness space that offers evidence-based practices, resources, tools, and strategies for education professionals to support their emotional regulation and well-being. Strategies are organized into three categories – calm yourself, activate yourself, and increase your well-being – that users can choose from based on their mental or emotional state. BeWell offers activities for listening, watching, reading, doing and learning that support a calm, centered, and engaged mindset. Bookmark this site and visit any time you need to regulate or learn about how to improve your overall well-being.
Resilience and Trauma-Informed Practices
Co-Designing Culturally Responsive Pedagogy with Tribal Partners
Culturally responsive and sustaining curricula that are by and about historically marginalized ethnic or racial groups are a powerful tool to engage students of color while combating deficit narratives found in mainstream curricula. School leaders can work with local community members in developing learning materials and sharing decision-making to improve school climate while affirming the value of all school community members. In this audiocast, you’ll hear about how Shasta County Office of Education has worked with local tribal members to form an American Indian Advisory group that co-creates lesson plans that celebrate and honor the history, culture, and continuing contributions of Native Americans.
Featured Speakers:
- Judy Flores, Superintendent of Schools
- Kelly Rizzi, Director of School & District Support
- Cindy Hogue, Wintu of Northern California Tribal Member and American Indian Advisory Cultural Consultant, Happy Valley School District 8th Grade Teacher
View the transcript for this audiocast.
Download the Shasta County Office of Education brief.
A Community-Based Approach to Student and Family Well-Being
School districts that implement whole-community supports incorporate the needs of families and caregivers in their approach to student well-being. In this audiocast, you’ll hear about how Pajaro Valley Unified School District prioritizes community voice to provide responsive supports that promote multi-generational wellness through their Family Engagement and Wellness Center.
Featured Speakers:
- Dr. Michelle Rodriguez, Superintendent
- Christine (Christy) MacLane, Coordinator of Counseling Programs and Coordinator of PVUSD Family Engagement and Wellness Center
View the transcript for this audiocast.
Download the Pajaro Valley brief.
Post-Disaster Mobilization Toward Healing & Recovery
School districts and county offices of education are crucial in responding to the numerous, fluctuating needs that appear in communities experiencing trauma. In this audiocast, you’ll hear about district and countywide response efforts to the tragic wildfire that devastated the small town of Paradise in 2018. These efforts were grounded in a multi-tiered system of support approach to ensure that all school community members had access to counseling and other essential recovery services.
Featured Speakers:
- Carrie Dawes, Administrator on Special Assignment
- Scott Lindstrom, Trauma Response & Recovery Coordinator
View the transcript for this audiocast.
Download the Paradise brief.
Universal Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Considerations for Practice
This practical guide from Project Cal-Well summarizes key considerations and includes recommendations for schools and districts implementing social, emotional, and behavioral screening during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Two partnering Project Cal-Well districts share examples of how they have gathered data to identify the behavioral and mental health support needs of their students.
Overview of Promoting Student Resilience (PSR) Grant Program
In 2016, the U.S. Department of Education awarded $4.75 million in Promoting Student Resilience (PSR) grants to three local educational agencies (LEAs): Baltimore City Schools; Chicago Public Schools; and St. Louis Public Schools. The communities in these three LEAs had experienced recent significant civil unrest (i.e., demonstrations of mass protest that involved law enforcement).
The funds supported LEAs’ efforts to build capacity to address the comprehensive behavioral and mental health needs of their students by supporting systems-wide approaches that link schools, mental health service providers, and community-based organizations.
This resource provides a brief overview of the grantees, their activities, support provided, and lessons learned.
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